Orchard Hills flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Orchard Hills
(Penrith, NSW) - 43.11 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 3 October 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
43.11 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Orchard Hills's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top. Magenta is where aircraft were observed in the sampled period, brightest below 3,000 ft.
Nearby suburbs, nearest first
Aircraft noise and flight paths over Orchard Hills
Two different things, kept apart on purpose. The ANEF contour is the planning instrument - a forecast published per airport that planning schemes use to control noise-sensitive development. Observed overflight is what a sampled aircraft-tracking feed actually recorded over the suburb - where aircraft flew, how low and how often.
Observed overflight - sampled 4 Sep to 2 Oct 2026
typical observed square 1 a day
Night movements: observed, lowest 2,500 ft - night is sampled as often as day, but night traffic is light, so this is a floor and no rate can be put on it.
Traffic is sampled rather than watched continuously, so every figure is a floor: aircraft not captured between samples are not represented. Rates are per 500 m square - the busiest square in the suburb, not a count of flights over the suburb - and a square is only rated where enough traffic was seen to measure it. Altitudes are above mean sea level. Flight paths change with runway use, weather, season and airspace design. This is a record of observed traffic; it is not a noise contour and not a planning control.
Orchard Hills at a glance
How Orchard Hills is zoned
Buying in Orchard Hills? The zoning, flood and bushfire lines on the section 10.7 certificate attached to the contract are mapped controls - see our s10.7 certificate guide.
Across its 43.11 km², Orchard Hills is highly constrained by planning overlays. Flood mapping covers the suburb and none of it falls within a mapped flood overlay, and 85% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 9 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Environmental Conservation. The median lot measures about 14,719 m² across 919 parcels.
Who lives in Orchard Hills
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Orchard Hills suburb boundary itself, not a wider region.
Socio-economic standing
ABS SEIFA 2021 ranks every Australian suburb. Decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth of the country, decile 10 the least.
Score 1019, and decile 7 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Orchard Hills's 1,798 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Mulgoa - Luddenham - Orchard Hills, the wider ABS statistical area containing Orchard Hills. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Orchard Hills itself.
5,948 in 2001 to 13,282 in 2025, up 123%.
Source: ABS Census 2021 and SEIFA 2021 (Suburbs and Localities), Regional Population (SA2), CC BY 4.0. Small counts are randomly adjusted by the ABS.
Orchard Hills data sources and coverage
“Not mapped” means we hold no source layer for this suburb - never an all-clear.
| Dataset | Coverage | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| Flood mapping | Mapped | NSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies |
| Bushfire-prone mapping | Mapped | NSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies |
| Zoning | Mapped | NSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies |
| Heritage and environment | Mapped where published | NSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies |
| Aircraft noise contours (ANEF) | Not held | NSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies, Defence |
| Observed flight paths | Observed | adsb.lol, under the Open Database License |
| Demographics | Available | Australian Bureau of Statistics (2021 Census and SEIFA) |
Profile last materially updated 3 October 2026. See the methodology and full source list. Source data changes over time and critical decisions should be checked with the responsible authority.
Check a specific Orchard Hills address
See exactly which overlays touch a single property - the interactive map is free. Need it on paper? A full planning PDF is just $9.
Aircraft have been seen below 3,000 ft over about 45% of Orchard Hills. The report's Aircraft Overflight page narrows that to the address itself: how many aircraft a day, how low, and at what heights.
Published flood models are held over parts of Orchard Hills. The free check tells you whether one reaches an address; where it does, a Flood Model Report is +$9 with the planning report.
Building or pricing a slab? The $119 geotechnical desktop report covers geology, soils, bores and an indicative AS 2870 site class for a Orchard Hills lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Orchard Hills planning - frequently asked
Is Orchard Hills flood-prone?
Flood mapping covers Orchard Hills and none of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay (the council-wide suburb average is 12%). Published flood models are held over parts of Orchard Hills; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether one reaches a given address.
Is Orchard Hills bushfire-prone?
Around 85% of Orchard Hills is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Penrith average of 42%.
Is Orchard Hills under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 45% of Orchard Hills, and over about 92% at any altitude up to 10,000 ft, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 2 Oct 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 500 ft, with an average of 4,000 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 7 aircraft a day were recorded passing over one 500 m square. Traffic is sampled rather than watched continuously and flight paths change with runway use, weather and season; the ANEF contour is the planning instrument.
What is the zoning in Orchard Hills?
The dominant planning zone in Orchard Hills is Environmental Conservation, though the suburb also includes Primary Production Small Lots and Rural Landscape.
Does Orchard Hills have heritage-listed places?
Orchard Hills has 9 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Orchard Hills?
Across 919 surveyed parcels in Orchard Hills, the median lot size is about 14,719 m². There are also 13 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Orchard Hills have a train station?
There is no train station inside Orchard Hills itself. The suburb is served by 58 bus stops.
What is the population of Orchard Hills?
At the 2021 Census Orchard Hills had 1,798 usual residents, with a median age of 47 and an average household size of 3.1 people. The wider Mulgoa - Luddenham - Orchard Hills statistical area, which contains Orchard Hills, went from 5,948 people in 2001 to 13,282 in 2025, up 123%.
Is Orchard Hills an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Orchard Hills scores 1019 and sits in decile 7 of 10 nationally and decile 7 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Orchard Hills?
Median household income in Orchard Hills was $2,279 a week at the 2021 Census, against $2,067 for the typical suburb in Penrith. Median rent was $450 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,550 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caddens | 3.9 km | 0% | 19% |
| Claremont Meadows | 4.0 km | 0% | 33% |
| South Penrith | 4.9 km | 0% | <1% |
| St Clair | 5.0 km | 0% | 2% |
| Glenmore Park | 5.1 km | <1% | 22% |
| Kingswood | 5.2 km | 0% | 11% |
| Werrington | 5.6 km | <1% | 25% |
| Erskine Park | 6.2 km | <1% | 22% |
| Colyton | 6.4 km | 0% | 18% |
| Cambridge Park | 6.5 km | 0% | 3% |